


Just a game

by Toto93



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Romance, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:55:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25447957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toto93/pseuds/Toto93
Summary: Carys Taylor hides her feelings well, unless she loses her temper. Often times it’s only the Weasley twins who can calm her down. But now she’s starting to struggle hiding just how much she cares about Fred in particular, but he just wants to have fun, doesn’t he?Set during the goblet of fire.
Relationships: Fred Weasley/Original Character(s), Fred Weasley/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

Carys Taylor was well versed in hiding how she felt and that’s why, to the casual observer, she seemed completely unbothered by the conversation she was currently having with her soon to be ex boyfriend. However, under her facade of calm a storm raged. The signs, as subtle as they were, were there, a slight tug on her hair, a clench of her jaw, quick glances around the courtyard searching for a familiar flash of red hair. She was waiting for the penny to drop.

“We’re over.”

And there it was, happening again. Carys has felt a pit in her stomach all morning after Jake’s ‘we need to talk’ note at breakfast and no matter how often her friends, Alicia and Angelina, tried to reassure her she’d known what was coming. She hadn’t responded yet so he filled the silence with reasons like she didn’t already know. She’d known since the week after he’d asked her out when he’d commented on how close she was to the Weasley twins that it was going to be a problem, again. She wasn’t surprised, she was close to them, she couldn’t describe them as ‘just friends’ because that felt like it was downplaying how much they meant to her but no lines had ever been crossed, although she couldn’t pretend she hadn’t thought about it... especially when it came to Fred.

“And I never get you to myself, those Weasley twins are always around, getting in the way like you belong to them or something.” He sneered.

And there it was, the real reason was finally out there. The reason every relationship she’d had so far, not that there had been many, had broken down. She snapped like elastic pulled too tight and rage made her fingers tingle. The only time she couldn’t hide how she felt was when her temper got the better of her and it seemed Jake had noticed because his mouth suddenly snapped shut and he shuffled his feet nervously. 

“Insecure, are we?” Carys hissed causing Jake to blush with anger. “I also spend a lot of time with Angelina and Alicia, are they part of the issue too?”

Jake seemed to be getting redder with every word that poured out of her mouth and seemingly unable to reply with words he just shook his head. 

“Oh I see, does their lack of dick make them harmless?” 

“Carys!” Jake yelped glancing around to make sure no one had heard her but Carys’ temper overshadowed any shame she might have felt.

“Spit it out Jake, you think I’m sneaking off for some action with one of the twins? Or is it both. What exactly do you think I’m doing? You think I’m screwing them?” Carys could tell her volume was rising as several students stopped in their tracks and stared at the situation. Jake looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him up but she didn’t care, her hands were shaking and then a familiar voice drowned out the din of the gathering crowd.

“Hey Carys.” George grinned at her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“Something wrong, love?” Fred whispered as he took her hand in his and squeezed gently. 

“No, nothing’s wrong, in fact I’m done here.” She huffed, the contact making her cool off almost immediately, shooting one last glare at Jake before letting the twins guide her away until...

“Slut.” Growled Jake, Carys froze, the simmering anger surged with a roar, Fred’s hand was gripping hers almost too tightly

“Oh mate.” He hissed “you shouldn’t have said that.”

* * *

“You can put me down now.” Carys grunted as George readjusted her. He’d thrown her over his shoulder after dragging her off Jake and escaped before it got out of hand. 

“Yeah, like I’m falling for that again, not until we reach the common room.” He chuckled 

“I’m not going to run again.” She knew that she was going to regret this whole day soon and if Fred came back with a black eye again she was going to feel terrible. As soon as he caught up she was going to apologise to both of them but for now she stopped complaining and wrestled with the guilt that coiled in her stomach at Fred and George having to deal with the result of her anger again. Her body sagged against him, exhausted, until he finally stepped in to the thankfully deserted common room. George strode over time the comfy arm chairs and placed her in the closest one. She landed heavily with a huff and bit the inside of her cheek as he crouched in front of her. He sighed heavily and shook his head.

“Same again?”

Carys didn’t need him to explain what he meant, it was common knowledge by now that this was how your relationship would end if you went out with Carys, she nodded solemnly.

The portrait burst open, startling her but it was only Fred, without a black eye this time, only slightly more disheveled than normal. His easy grin almost hiding how tensely he was holding himself, he quickly joined George in front of her and patted her knee.

“I’m sorry.” She hiccuped, the tears coming now. Fred frowned and stared down at the floor, unable to watch her cry without wanting to hit something. 

“He’s a git.” Fred hissed.

“It’s not your fault Car, that idiot is the one who should be sorry.” George smiles sweetly at her before continuing “look, summer holidays start next week and after that you’ll be coming to stay at ours and you’ll forget all about him. We’ll make sure of it, right Fred?”

“Definitely.” Fred winked and it made Carys’ stomach twist “and if he ever upsets you again he’ll be on the wrong end of a Fred and George classic.”

Finally she laughed, the coil of tension in her stomach started to loosen and she chose to ignore the feelings Fred winking at her caused, pushing them down until it was nothing more than a little blip to add to the countless other Fred blips she tried to forget. They were right, of course only one more week and then it was summer and she could put all this behind her. She silently promised herself next year would be different, no more pointless relationships, no more loosing her temper. Just an easy year spending time with her friends and studying. It wouldn’t take long for her to find out how wrong she really was.


	2. Chapter 2

The heat was stifling, it made Carys’ hair stick to her neck as she attempted to cool off her feet in the tiny paddling pool her dad had bought her as a child. She stared at the blank piece of paper in her hand and sighed dramatically. Fred always got grumpy if she didn’t reply to his letters but she had no idea what to say.

_Summer is boring without you._

Yeah, right, like she’d ever hear the end of that.

_My parents have been away at work the whole time so the most I’ve said since the end of school was “I’ve eaten already” to my dad during one of his infrequent visits._

Absolutely not, that would only worry him and he’d demand that next time she spend the whole holidays intruding on the Weasleys. She splashed her feet in a huff, what was the point anyway? She’d be going to the Burrow the very next day. Dropping the paper on the grass next to her she carefully unfolded Fred’s latest letter.

_Dearest Carys_   
_Missing me yet? Mum can’t wait for you to come over, wants to fatten you up. Ginny wants me to ask if you can bring another of those clothes books? The thin ones that muggles read to feel bad about themselves._   
_Anyway, it’s too hot recently. Don’t get too excited but George and I spend most of our days down at the lake so make sure you bring some lake suitable clothing! Are you thinking about me swimming? Trust me when I say I look even more handsome in a lake._   
_You better write back._   
_Fred._   
_P.s Ron got all red when he heard you were coming over soon. Maybe he has a crush on you. I guess I’ll have to fight him. I promise I’ll win._

Carys folded his letter back up gingerly. She could never tell if Fred was flirting with her or just being Fred. She decided to stash it away with the countless other Fred letters she’d kept over the years, also she decided she wasn’t going to reply. She’d just show up tomorrow and he’d just have to be grumpy.

* * *

  
Next day

_See you at Christmas darling, work hard._   
_Mum_

Carys stared at the note feeling slightly sick, she wished it didn’t bother her that once again her parents weren’t there to see her off. Swallowing hard she pocketed the note and stepped in to the fireplace.

“The Burrow!” She announced, squeezing her eyes shut, excitement managing to mostly mask the sick feeling still gnawing at her. Finally she felt herself come to a stop and opened her eyes, everything about the Burrow filled her senses, from the playful argument coming from upstairs to the smell of freshly baked bread. She was immediately pulled in to the welcoming arms of Mrs Weasley.

“Oh, Carys dear, welcome home.”

Carys felt her stomach do a little flip at the implication that she was, at last, back with her family, she felt the near constant tension in her shoulders relax slightly.

“I’m home.” She whispered before being dragged out of Molly’s grasp in to George’s embrace.

“Missed you Car.” He chuckled as he twirled her around.

“I bet, where is Fred?”

“Overslept, got real grumpy about not getting a reply from you y’know? Want to teach him a lesson?” George waggled his eyebrows.

“Definitely” she grinned.

They crept up the stairs, avoiding the creaky ones to the twins bedroom. Carys pushed open the door gently and George was right, still fast asleep without a care in the world, snoring quietly. She tiptoed to his bed and leant over him, amazed at how long his eyelashes were before she reminded herself she didn’t care. 

“You’re late for potions Fred.” She hissed.

Fred’s eyes fluttered open and once he focused on Carys he smiled lazily, his arms snakes around her waist and pulled her towards him. She landed on top of him with a yelp and froze, he nuzzled in to her neck and took a deep breath. Carys’ cheeks were burning as she attempted to escape.

“Carys.” Fred sighed. 

Carys pushed him with all her strength and jumped away from him, her heart hammering in her chest, when she heard a creak behind her and spun around. George stood there, a bewildered look on his face, eyebrows raised, staring at her.

“What was...” he began

But Carys interrupted, holding her shaking hand up. “Nothing happened.” She squeaked before pushing past him and sprinting down the stairs. She ran straight past Molly and out of the door in to the meadow surrounding the Burrow, still running until she reached the lake. The morning sun was still cool only magnifying the fresh burning of her cheeks. The feeling of Fred’s lips whispering her name on her neck still lingered giving her a thrill of hope she had long since tried to bury. She knelt down pulling at the grass as she tried to logic her way out of the wave of emotions threatening to spoil her carefully cultivated image. He was asleep, probably dreaming, and people do weird stuff when they’re half asleep. It meant nothing, less than nothing. Just another Fred blip. She was so focused on her stream of thoughts she didn’t hear Fred’s soft footsteps approaching her.

“Bloody hell Carys, it’s freezing out here.” He groaned, landing with a thud beside her. She didn’t know what to say so chose not say anything as he fidgeted. “Did I do something? Only I woke up to see you legging it and George pissing himself laughing.”

“Oh.” She replied, struggling with how much to reveal. “Nope.”

He raised an eyebrow at her and frowned.

“Look.” She sighed “nothing happened and I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You don’t want to talk about the ‘nothing’ that happened?” He smirked

“Exactly.”

“I see...” he rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully before nodding. “Then we won’t talk about it.”

Carys immediately felt calmer, smiling at Fred shyly she nudged him.

“Come on, let’s go eat.” Fred grinned back at her.

* * *

Summers at the Burrow had always felt healing for Carys, mostly until her crush on Fred started to manifest, now she felt slightly tense like her secret could be exposed any second. Which is why she was stretched out in the long grass beside the lake as the twins took turns diving in, pretending to read a book and definitely not sneaking looks at Fred, until he caught her and winked making her shiver. She turned away and tried to refocus on her book but a sudden thud and some drops of water landing on her forced her to look up at him.

“Y’know,” Fred smirked “the view is much better in the lake.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She mumbled.

“Yeah, sure. So, have you heard from that git since summer started?”

“Jake? No, thankfully, I doubt he’d want to write to the girl who scratched his cheek that badly, not exactly girlfriend material.” 

“Well, he was a boring sod anyway.” He laughed.

Carys nodded, Jake had been boring, but most boys her age were. Especially when you’d spent most of your time around two rakishly handsome trouble makers. Fred and George were very popular at school and Fred enjoyed what that meant. He was an unabashed flirt and was well known to be up for almost anything as long as it was fun. It seemed like it was a game to him, picking girls up and dropping them the second things got too heavy or in his words ‘boring’. Which was exactly why Carys couldn’t let on how she was feeling. He would act differently around her, be more careful, not wanting anything in his life to be serious, especially a relationship.


End file.
